Promises Kept
by ilovetvalot
Summary: Will David Rossi survive that fateful bullet fired on Valentine's Day? Sequel to "When Loves Lies Bleeding and Broken" TWOSHOT
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: Big news today, our friends! The nomination ballot, rules, and category summaries for the second annual Profiler's Choice CM Awards 2011 are up and available for you at "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" forum. To reach that post, please either take a trip to the forum itself OR links are provided on the profile pages of ilovetvalot, tonnie2001969, OR Profiler's Choice CM Awards. Nomination ballots should be pm'd to Profiler's Choice CM Awards ONLY. That link is also provided on the forum or through the profile pages listed above._

_We are both very excited about this second award process. In order to get the word out to as many as possible, we ask you, our fellow authors and readers, to let others know of this exciting opportunity. Whether by author's notes or Facebook, please let everyone know that the awards season has begun._

_All of the assignments for the September challenge have been mailed to the participants. If you haven't received your assignment, please let us know. __**Also, the NEW challenge sign-ups for Chit Chat's October Challenge have began! "The Masquerade Challenge" is available now and we'd love to see each of you participate. For our Halloween challenge, participants will be able to choose THEIR OWN PAIRING and will be assigned a Halloween prompt to write. For example if you chose to write Morgan Garcia, you might be assigned the prompt "Godzilla". Maybe Morgan shows up at Garcia's apartment to help her hand out candy dressed as Godzilla or, perhaps, they spend Halloween night happily sequestered in her apartment watching a Godzilla marathon. The ideas are endless! So, come on over and take a look!**_

_And for those just wandering into one of our stories, BOTH ilovetvalot and tonnie2001969 are now on Facebook. Simply friend "Ilovetvalot fanfiction" and/or "Tonnie Fanfiction". We're having a blast getting to know our fellow authors and readers alike. It's a great place to either socialize or get that much needed muse kicking._

_Stay tuned over the weekend for interviews with three authors, ReidFanatic, KDSanders, and Ice Prince1. Their interviews will be available on the forum!_

_As ever, we appreciate every single one of you that takes the time to read and/or review our stories. Your valuable feedback is deeply appreciated and we love hearing from you!_

_And, if we haven't stated it before, we do not own Criminal Minds, but darn, we wish we did!_

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**A/N 2: This story is the sequel to "When Love Lies Bleeding and Broken"**

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**Promises Kept**

**Chapter One**

Life did not have many certainties.

The sun would rise in the morning. Day would follow even the darkest night. And, without fail, David Rossi kept his promises.

Those were the sum total of things Aaron Hotchner could be assured of when it came to his life. And he was hanging on to the last statement for all he was worth.

Especially now.

Because the indomitable, infuriating man that was David freaking Rossi had made him one last promise before he'd slipped into unconsciousness. One last whispered declaration..."I'll try, Aaron. For you, I'll try."

Aaron held on to those last words with both hands as he'd ridden inside the ambulance with him to the metropolitan hospital. He ran them over and over in his mind as he'd paced this small godforsaken waiting room that the nurses had left him in hours ago. He replayed them in his mind now as his eyes found the small round clock on the wall for the third time in twenty minutes. And time was obviously not on his side.

Where the hell was everybody? A hospital full of medical professionals couldn't find time for one damned update?

Tapping his foot impatiently against the tiled floor, he surged to his feet and began pacing the room again. Ten steps left. Ten steps right. And repeat.

He'd forced the team to go home an hour ago. After sixteen hours with no sleep, they'd all been exhausted and they could wait for word as easily in their hotel rooms as they could sitting in a cramped room in uncomfortable chairs.

And honestly, he couldn't bear having their concerned, worried eyes focused on him any longer.

He knew that his relationship with Dave was no secret to his team of profilers. It wasn't something either man had ever discussed openly with their friends, but he was well aware that they knew the score. They were professionals at seeing what was underneath the surface, after all. Running a hand over his tired face, he sighed as he stared at the nearby wall. Anyone who hadn't been clear on the status quo before tonight certainly had no doubt now as to his feelings about the elder profiler.

His emotions had gotten the better of him more than once tonight.

But, Jesus, it all felt too fucking familiar. How many times was he going to arrive a day late and dollar short for somebody he loved? Hadn't he paid his dues? Didn't the universe owe him this one?

He could almost hear Dave's gruff voice irritably telling him to get the hell off the cross because somebody needed the wood and briefly he smiled. It was an all too true fact that his martyr complex had annoyed his lover on more than one occasion in their colorful history together.

It was one of the reasons he'd fallen in love with the older man...his unique ability to slice through the bullshit and tell him the way it really was, not the way he wished it could be.

How many times had he heard Dave's deep baritone reminding him to, "Live in the now, Aaron, and let tomorrow deal with itself."?

The problem was, tomorrow was upon them now, he thought with another nervous glance at the clock on the wall. And he had no idea if he'd survive it without the often irascible, yet oddly endearing David Rossi.

"Agent Hotchner?"

Turning sharply as he met the tired eyes of Dave's haggard surgeon, Aaron swallowed hard. "Yes," he said hoarsely, his body paralyzed by fear, his feet suddenly rooted to the ground.

Stepping into the waiting room, the surgeon gestured toward one of the worn chairs against the wall. "I'm Doctor Sampson, Agent Rossi's surgeon. We met briefly earlier. Would you like to sit?"

Shaking his head jerkily, Aaron felt a shiver climb his spine as his hands fisted at his side, his body bracing for pain. "Just tell me," he demanded huskily. "Did he make it?" he asked with a ragged voice.

"He did," Dr. Sampson nodded, lowering his own weary body into one of the vinyl chairs. "It was a challenging surgery and we needed to infuse Agent Rossi with several units of blood. There was substantial damage to his intestinal cavity, but we were able to repair the damage."

Releasing a shaky breath, Aaron felt his world spinning. "He's going to be okay then?" he asked with a voice that shook, a fair rendition of the fluttering inside his chest.

Offering the tall man an encouraging smile, the doctor nodded slowly. "He'll have a significant recovery ahead of him, but yes, I foresee a positive outcome. Your agent appeared quite determined to live. He kept mumbling something about keeping his promise to you while we were prepping him for surgery...something about you turning into a walking, talking corpse if we didn't fix him. He was actually quite bossy about the whole thing," he added with a tired wink. "I'm assuming you two are something more than mere colleagues then," he prodded gently.

"You could say that," Aaron choked, relief and amusement flooding him as the doctor's words penetrated the fog of his mind.

"Thought so," the doctor nodded approvingly. "A man only fights that hard when something he loves in on the line. Trust me, Agent Hotchner," the physician stated meaningfully, "Agent Rossi fought like hell during that operation."

"That sounds like Dave," Aaron whispered, blinking back sudden tears that threatened to fall freely.

"He's a lucky man," Dr. Sampson sighed, rolling his shoulders to try to relieve the ache in his back, the long hours of surgery taking their toll.

"I'm the lucky one," Aaron murmured, forcing himself to try and remind his tense body how to breathe again. Dave was alive. The worst had not happened. The universe had indeed paid out in his favor this time.

Smiling again, Dr. Sampson took a long look at his patient's loved one. "Listen, I don't usually allow friends to see my patients after surgery until they've left recovery, but I think you need to see for yourself that he's on the road to recovery, so to speak."

Nodding jerkily at that act of kindness, Hotch inhaled deeply. "I guess I'm pretty obvious, aren't I?"

"It's a traumatic experience, Agent Hotchner. I'd be concerned if you were nonchalant. He'll be moved into a private room soon, but you can sit with him in recovery. You shouldn't be there long. I'll leave orders at the nurse's station. Just be aware that he's still pretty heavily sedated and hooked up to a whole host of tubes and monitors. Don't let that alarm you. It's all standard for a surgery of this magnitude. In a few days, we'll wean him off them."

"I don't care what he's attached to as long as he lives," Aaron whispered, the truth filling ever word.

Rising, Dr. Sampson clasped his patient's friend's arm. "I don't think we have any worries in that department. As I said, Agent Rossi's determination was evident in spades. I don't think he'd shy away from telling St. Peter to shove it."

Laughing involuntarily at the doctor's spot on assessment of his lover, Hotch nodded. "You've certainly nailed Dave's demeanor, Doctor."

"Trust me." Dr. Sampson grinned, remembering Agent Rossi's rough demands prior to surgery, "It wasn't that hard to do. Let's get you back to him, shall we?"


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note:**__ Hello Readers! We would like to encourage each reader and author alike to participate in nominating their favorite fics and authors for the second annual "Profiler's Choice CM Awards 2011__**! The nomination ballot, rules and category summaries can each be found at "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" Forum. To reach that post, please either take a trip to the forum itself OR links are provided on the profile pages of ilovetvalot, tonnie2001969, OR Profiler's Choice CM Awards.**__ Nomination ballots should be pm'd to Profiler's Choice CM Awards ONLY. That link is also provided on the forum or through the profile pages listed above. We look forward to hearing from each of you!_

_In order to get the word out to as many as possible, we ask you, our fellow authors and readers, to let others know of this exciting opportunity. Whether by author's notes or Facebook, please let everyone know that the awards season has begun._

_**Also, the NEW challenge sign-ups for Chit Chat's October Challenge have began! "The Masquerade Challenge" is available now and we'd love to see each of you participate. For our Halloween challenge, participants will be able to choose THEIR OWN PAIRING and will be assigned a Halloween prompt to write. For example if you chose to write Morgan Garcia, you might be assigned the prompt "Godzilla". Maybe Morgan shows up at Garcia's apartment to help her hand out candy dressed as Godzilla or, perhaps, they spend Halloween night happily sequestered in her apartment watching a Godzilla marathon. The ideas are endless! So, come on over and take a look!**_

_And for those just wandering into one of our stories, BOTH ilovetvalot and tonnie2001969 are now on __**Facebook**__. Simply friend "Ilovetvalot fanfiction" and/or "Tonnie Fanfiction". We're having a blast getting to know our fellow authors and readers alike. It's a great place to either socialize or get that much needed muse kicking. As of yesterday, we have about 115 of our author and reader friends on our friend list and we'd LOVE to add you!_

_Also, we've posted new interviews with two of our fellow authors, REIDFANATIC and KDSanders at the forum. Stay with us as we visit with some of our favorite writers over the upcoming weeks. If anyone has any suggestions on who they'd like an in depth look at, please PM us._

_As ever, we appreciate every single one of you that takes the time to read and/or review our stories. Your valuable feedback is deeply appreciated and we love hearing from you!_

_And, if we haven't stated it before, we do not own Criminal Minds, but darn, we wish we did!_

* * *

_**A/N 2 - This story is the sequel to the story, "When Love Lies Bleeding and Broken"**_

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**Promises Kept**

**Chapter Two**

Three hours later, Aaron sat beside Dave's bed side, his hand firmly wrapped around the other man's. The team had come and gone, speaking in hushed tones as he'd updated him regarding Dave's surgery. After assuring them all that Dave was indeed on the road to recovery, he'd ordered them back to the hotel for some much needed rest. Again.

Now, his own eyes burned with fatigue, but he refused to close them...not until he saw Dave awake and alert, preferably bossing him around again. And while he would never let the other man know that, he was waiting on pins and needles for that first snarky word. He knew the anesthesia would take awhile to wear off, but the idea of missing those dark eyes opening for the first time kept his own firmly open.

Shifting in the only slightly more comfortable chair than he'd had in the waiting room, he watched his lover's face for any sign of pain. Finding none, he exhaled a long breath. Stroking a thumb across the inside of Dave's wrist, he was gratified to feel the strong throb of the older man's pulse against his finger, just another reminder that he hadn't lost anyone else today.

This time. And Aaron was not going to split hairs. Not anymore. Dave was alive, and that's all that counted.

"Mnnnhhhhh," Dave groaned softly, squinting as his bleary eyes slowly blinked open, the harsh glare of lights above nearly blinding him. "Son of bit-..." he complained as he attempted to lift his arm to shield his eyes.

"Dave!" Hotch said, jerking upright as that familiar growl filled his ears. Heart slamming in his chest, he rose to stand beside the bed, reaching for Dave's arm.

"A-aron?" Dave croaked, grimacing as he wondered who the hell had shoved razor blades down his throat. Once he found out, he was going to exact justice immediately.

"I'm here," Aaron said softly, dropping his hand against Dave's forehead. "Are you in pain? Do I need to get a nurse?" he asked worriedly.

Dropping his hand from his eyes, Dave tried to focus on the sound of Aaron's voice. Had he said nurse? What the fuck had...oh, yeah, he thought his mind finally finding those memories informing him of his current predicament. Turning his head toward the man whose bed he'd been sharing for over a year, Dave winced as he got a good look at Hotch. "Jesus, Aaron, who died?" he asked with a frown, wincing as he shifted in the bed.

"That would be you...almost," Hotch replied with a soft growl, his hand tightening around Dave's.

"Oh, yeah," Dave replied weakly, blinking as he tried to clear his vision. "You can't be pissed," he said quickly, hating the harsh lines slashing across Aaron's face, hallmarks of what the younger man had endured because of the bullet he'd taken. "I kept my promise," he said hoarsely.

"You did," Hotch replied slowly as he stroked his fingers across Dave's whiskered cheek. "And here's one in return. You ever pull this shit again, and I'll shoot you," he threatened with soft eyes.

Trying to shift on the mattress, Dave groaned. "Noted," he winced again. "So, what's the damage?" he asked when the pain began to ebb.

"You'll be out of commission about three months," Hotch answered evenly, his tone brooking no argument.

"Bullshit," Dave retorted immediately even as the stitches in his stomach pulled, reminding him of all the reasons why he shouldn't move.

"And then, they'll be another three months of desk duty," Hotch continued wryly, fully prepared to chain Dave to his chair if it became necessary. And he was fairly certain that might be a distinct possibility.

"Oh, hell," Dave blustered, dropping his head back against the pillows in disgust. "Just what I needed to hear...three months trapped in the office with Erin Strauss. Are you sure this isn't hell? Tell me that we at least got the bastard," he grumbled tiredly.

Lips twitching, Hotch nodded. "We did. Although his bullet only went in the shoulder," he informed the other man with no small amount of bitterness.

"Good," Dave said with a satisfied grunt of approval, tentatively moving his legs as he tried to determine how much movement he could do without pain. "I wouldn't have wanted anything to stand between that little prick and the needle delivering his lethal injection." Cracking one eyelid, he squeezed Aaron's hand as he stared at the younger man. "You look like shit, babe" he stated bluntly.

"You're one to talk," Hotch chuckled, his chest tightening as he stared down at the various IV tubes criss-crossing Rossi's body. "I thought...," he choked, emotion clogging his throat as he tried to get the words past his lips.

"Hey," Dave soothed, opening both eyes to focus on Aaron's face. "I made you a promise," he whispered. Watching Aaron's face tighten, he tugged at the hand holding his. "C'mere," he rumbled. "I take on the fates for you, and you can't even give an old man a kiss?" he teased gently as Aaron bent over him.

"Do me a favor and don't go picking any more fights with God for the next twenty or so years, okay?" Aaron whispered against Dave's lips.

"Ehhh, God loves me," Dave chuckled, kissing his lover gently. "Sent me back, didn't he?" he asked when Aaron pulled back.

"You got a free pass," Hotch snorted, lifting a shaky hand to wipe the tears off his cheek. "He and Lucifer are probably still arguing over who has to take you. Short straw gets you for all of eternity."

"Nice," Rossi chuckled, muffling a curse as his incision tugged again. "Is that any way to talk to a guy that kicked ass in a risky surgery just to come back to you?" he asked grumpily, mock glaring at his lover.

"From where I'm standing, it looks like that surgery kicked your ass," Hotch mocked, pressing another kiss against Dave's dry lips. "But I'm grateful," he whispered. "Very grateful."

"Then say it," Dave growled gruffly, nipping Aaron's lower lip warningly.

Smiling against Dave's cheek, Aaron knew without question exactly what the man in bed wanted to hear. "I'm still pretty pissed at you," Aaron replied, raising a dark eyebrow as he stared into Dave's narrowed gaze. "You say it," he protested, matching Dave's tone.

"You'll get over it," Dave growled, his grip tightening on Aaron's neck. "You say it first," he whined in his most pitiful voice. "I'm suffering from a gunshot wound."

"You nearly gave me a heart attack," Aaron countered, mock-frowning, his eyebrows drawing together. "I think you need to say it first."

"Asshole," Dave grumbled under his breath.

"Jackass," Aaron replied evenly.

Eyes shining, Dave met Aaron's eyes. "I love you," he said impatiently. "There, I went first. Happy now? Say it."

Lips twitching, Aaron genuinely smiled for the first time since he'd watched that bullet fly into his lover. "I love you, too, Dave," he whispered.

"Took you long enough," Dave muttered critically. "But, I'll take what I can get," he sighed, settling back against the mattress as he blinked heavily. "Make me a promise?" he asked with a yawn, his body suddenly weighing him down against the thin mattress.

"Anything," Hotch replied, pulling the chair closer to the bed as he watched Dave's eyes become heavy.

"Be here when I wake back up," he whispered slowly, barely aware of the green-clad nurse moving toward him. "I hate fucking hospitals."

"That's a promise I won't have any trouble keeping," Aaron replied gently as Dave closed his eyes again. Watching as his lover's chest rose and fell steadily as the nurse adjusted Dave's IVs, Aaron began to relax...and thank God for a promise kept.

_**Finis**_


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